Crows align with VFLW club Williamstown

Sarah Black

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ADELAIDE and VFLW side Williamstown have aligned, allowing Crows players to continue to play in the VFLW competition next year.

For the past two seasons, Adelaide's stars have played for NT Thunder in the VFLW at the conclusion of the AFLW season, as the state's premier league SANFLW runs parallel with the national competition.

The partnership between Adelaide and the NT Thunder finished at the end of the current VFLW season, with the Thunder not fielding either men's or women's teams next year as a revamp takes place.

The move will be a boost to standalone side Seagulls, who have struggled in their first two years in the competition, winning four games in 2018 and just one this year.

Up to five Adelaide players at a time will be able to play for Williamstown, with Seagulls staff also able to partner up with their Crows equivalents to assist with development.

"The success of our AFLW team is reliant on a strong off-season competition for the players, and this partnership will allow them to continue to develop their skills," Adelaide football boss Phil Harper said.

"It is beneficial for our players to continue to develop with regular games in a strong competition."

The VFLW season starts at the conclusion of the AFLW season, which is yet to be locked in but this year finished on the last weekend in March.

"Williamstown was seeking to align with an AFLW club in order to receive access to elite level playing talent and mentoring for our coaching and high-performance staff," Williamstown CEO Jason Reddick said.

"We greatly respect what Adelaide has achieved in the AFLW and we are excited about how this partnership will help advance our own VFLW program and talent pathway."